Lines of kids fill the trails of Pixie Hollow daily as fans swarm to meet Disney’s iconic Tinker Bell. But this spot has served many purposes over the years, much of which is completely unknown by today’s younger Disney fans. Let’s take a look at the history of a spot that goes all the way back to Walt Disney himself and search for the archeological details that remain to this day.
Pixie Hollow Today
By day, the serene gardens of Pixie Hollow are a picture-perfect fairy garden meet-and-greet. Shrink to fairy size, walk among the flowers in tall grass, and stroll by the pond as Celtic music plays. Stand in line to see Tinkerbell, along with her fairy friends, who are delightfully welcoming to guests. You can chat with them about their garden, individual talents, and adorable teapot house. As you can see in our video, they sometimes even inquire about your own talent, discuss teapot renovations, or request your help in finding lost things. (I am 100% sure Tinkerbell thought I was insane, but it made great video content. Thanks, Tink!) Guests are encouraged to take photos and video, and accompanying cast members remain in character during the walk-through.
What you may not know is that by night, Pixie Hollow surprises unassuming passersby with a seemingly random, swirling light show. The nightly event is awash in writhing colors, spraying fountains, and dramatic music. It’s a charming wonder and a little-known delight in the parks.
Guests also seem to forget this area even exists at night because it’s almost empty every time we visit. It is, in fact, open to guests who want to stroll through perfectly tended gardens and relax with gigantic flowers and life-size mushrooms. It’s a nice little rest area – one of the few quiet out of the way rest spots left in Disneyland park.
But the origins of the space pixie hollow occupies weren’t fantasy at all, they were pure Walt Disney futurism . . .
Let’s Go Back to the Future
It’s hard to imagine that there was once a big plastic house on that plot of land where Tinker Bell prances today. The “House of the Future” sat upon that same garden in 1958. It was sponsored by none other than Monsanto – yes, that Monsanto – that once specialized in synthetic fabrics. At the time, they seemed determined to transform the earth into a world brimming with all things plastic.
Ten years later the attraction was more a house of the past and was finally torn down in 1968. It then became a souvenir stand and resting spot. It was renamed Alpine gardens because of its close proximity to the Matterhorn Bobsleds. After a while, it was relocated on the map from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland, and re-themed as Triton’s garden. In the spot that now holds Tink’s teapot house, Ariel’s clamshell was perched on a turntable as a photo op.
Eventually, King Triton’s bronze statue was moved to the highest point of the building that houses Ariel’s Under Sea Adventure in Disney California Adventure. He even had his own carousel for many years until it was replaced by Jesse’s Critter Carousel in 2018 to correspond with Pixar Pier.
In 2008, the Little Mermaid meet-and-greet area became the Pixie Hollow we know and love today.
Watch our video to find out all the secrets, tributes, and unknown facts about this beautiful spot near the castle in Disneyland. You might even spot MiceChat’s own Dusty Sage . . .
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Let’s Hear From You
Are you a Pixie Hollow fan? Is it still relevant today or would you like to see something else take its place? If so, what?
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